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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Demonstration of a high-contrast optical switching in an atomic Delta system

Megha Ghosh, Asha Karigowda, Ayyappan Jayaraman, Fabien Bretenaker, Barry C. Sanders, Andal Narayanan

Published Jul 17, 2017• 16 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We present an experimental study of a Δ system in a room temperature, dilute sample of 85 Rb atoms. A Δ system in the D2 manifold of 85 Rb is formed by connecting the two lower hyperfine energy levels of a Λ system by a microwave drive field at 3.0357 GHz. We show that when the Rabi frequency of a microwave drive field exceeds that of the optical probe field, a three-wave mixing nonlinear interaction is established. This nonlinear interaction changes the enhanced transmission of the optical probe to a deep absorption for a relative phase difference of π between all the three fields. We establish through our experiment and our numerical simulation, the phase-sensitive and nonlinear nature of the Δ system’s response to the applied microwave and optical fields. Using this feature, we demonstrate a high-contrast microwave phase controlled switch for the optical probe field. In comparison with intensity and phase switching demonstrated with all-optical fields so far, our experiment opens up the possibility of obtaining the highest contrast optical switching with room temperature atoms.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6455/aa8014

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Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Aug 12, 2010•0 citations
Abstract We present an experimental study of a Δ system in a room temperature, dilute sample of 85 Rb atoms. A Δ system in the D2 manifold of 85 Rb is formed by connecting the two lower hyperfine energy levels of a Λ system by a microwave drive field at 3.0357 GHz. We show that when the Rabi frequency of a microwave drive field exceeds that of the optical probe field, a three-wave mixing nonlinear interaction is established. This nonlinear interaction changes the enhanced transmission of the optical probe to a deep absorption for a relative phase difference of π between all the three fields. We establish through our experiment and our numerical simulation, the phase-sensitive and nonlinear nature of the Δ system’s response to the applied microwave and optical fields. Using this feature, we demonstrate a high-contrast microwave phase controlled switch for the optical probe field. In comparison with intensity and phase switching demonstrated with all-optical fields so far, our experiment opens up the possibility of obtaining the highest contrast optical switching with room temperature atoms.
Abstract We propose a model for optical switching in a closed-loop three-level lambda atomic system excited by two optical fields, coupling and probe lights, and by a microwave-driven field. A set of coupled Maxwell–Bloch equations for the atom-field system is numerically solved with a combination of the Runge–Kutta and finite difference techniques. It is shown that the transmitted probe light can be switched to a nearly square pulse train by switching the relative phase of the interacting fields or by switching the intensity of the microwave field. Furthermore, the switching mode between the probe field and relative phase can be anti-synchronous or synchronous, depending on the relative phase being modulated to π /2 and 3 π /2 or π and 2 π , respectively. Also, the efficiency and the switching rate can be controlled by the microwave field, the relative phase and the intensity of the coupling field. Such a controllable optical switching model can be applied in the design of optical switching and amplification devices working at low light intensities.
\n An experimental investigation of a Microwave Optical Double Resonance (MODR) phenomenon is carried out in a four level N system of 85Rb atoms, at room temperature. This N system consists of a closed three level Λ subsystem irradiated with two optical fields and one microwave field. The MODR response is investigated in a separate probe field which drives a resonant transition from one of the ground states of the Λ system to a fourth level. We find that, under two-photon resonance condition for the optical fields, the MODR becomes a function of the relative phase between the beat frequency envelop of the optical fields and the microwave field. The variation in MODR is shown to be correlated with the phase-sensitive variation of the EIT phenomenon seen in such microwave-connected closed Λ systems. We envisage that this phase-sensitive variation in the MODR, can be utilized for a phase-sensitive manipulation of non-linear optical phenomena in N systems.\n
Abstract This paper describes a theoretical study of the optical responses of an atomic medium to the probe field in a four-level (Δ + ∇)-type closed-contour interaction system driven by two pump laser fields (P1, P2), one probe laser field (Pr) and two microwave or radio frequency (RF) coupling fields (L, U). Here, L and U are considered to connect the forbidden electric dipole transitions, i.e. two hyperfine ground states of the Δ subsystem and two hyperfine excited states of the ∇ subsystem, respectively. Since each subsystem is a closed-loop system, relative phases are thought to be present between the optical fields (pump and probe fields), and the microwave or RF fields. The manipulation of the quantum coherence of the system by the strengths of coupling fields along with the relative phases is demonstrated in terms of the changes occurring in the absorption of the probe field by the medium. The probe absorption and dispersion profiles are extracted by numerically solving the optical Bloch equations for the system under steady-state conditions. In this study, we start by illuminating the system with the probe only, and then, by applying the pump fields and the coupling fields one by one, the changes in the absorptive and dispersive probe line profiles are investigated for two distinct cases that depend on the relative strengths of the pump fields, e.g. when P2 is stronger than P1 and vice versa. Furthermore, the individual effects of the strengths and phases of the coupling fields on the probe absorption, transparency and amplification are also explored for both cases. All the changes that appear in the probe signal as a result of the application of different fields are explained by the modified interaction fields or the corresponding effective Rabi frequencies obtained from the partial dressed-state analysis.
We have experimentally studied the propagation of two optical fields in a dense rubidium (Rb) gas in the case when an additional microwave field is coupled to the hyperfine levels of Rb atoms. The Rb energy levels form a close-$\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ three-level system coupled to the optical fields and the microwave field. It has been found that the maximum transmission of the probe field depends on the relative phase between the optical and the microwave fields. We have observed both constructive and destructive interferences in electromagnetically induced transparency. A simple theoretical model and a numerical simulation have been developed to explain the observed experimental results.
Abstract A third-order nonlinear response is investigated theoretically using a closed lambda system. In this scheme, a pair of optical fields and a microwave field connect three hyperfine levels in a cyclic fashion, rendering the atomic response sensitive to the relative phase of all three fields. Changing the relative phase, we can suppress the linear response of the probe field and enhance its third order self-Kerr nonlinear response using the underlying electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect. The resultant giant self-Kerr nonlinear response is comparable to or exceeding that found in atomic systems at room temperature. Most importantly, we show that the self-Kerr nonlinear response at an optical frequency can be controlled using the phase and amplitude of a frequency-separated microwave field.
We experimentally observe a non-linear absorption resonance in one of the two probe beams of a double Λ system which is interacting with three optical beams. This probe beam counterpropagates to the other two beams, both of which are co-propagating. The absorption resonance in this probe beam arises due to interaction between the dark states of the double Λ created by the co-propagating beams. The double Λ configuration of levels is in the D2 hyperfine manifold of 87Rb atoms, and the interaction is studied at room temperature. The non-linear absorption resonance is shown to be a three-photon process arising whenever the two co-propagating beams satisfy the two-photon Raman condition, necessary for electromagnetically induced transparency. Through a dressed state analysis, we show that the absorption feature is a result of interference between the absorption pathways to the excited states, from the ground states of the double Λ. The non-linear nature of the probe beam absorption enables it to perform like a directional optical switch. This absorption switch operates conditioned on non-absorption of a single photon of the same frequency due to a coherent process, in a beam traveling in the opposite direction.